Federal Policy on Immigration Actions Near Schools - Year 2017 (CA Dept of Education) : State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson Asks Federal Authorities to Clarify Policy on Immigration Actions Near Schools SACRAMENTO – State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson, as part of his efforts to ensure parents and students feel safe at schools regardless of their immigrati

CURMUDGUCATION: Testing Bribes : Testing Bribes One of the biggest challenges connected with the Big Standardized Test is also one of the most important-- getting students to actually care . State and district officials all across the country have largely failed-- and they know it. Why, yes, I am very excited about the PARCC test. This is less of a challenge with the littles. A primary teacher ca

Sample letter to your legislator about establishing screen time guidelines | Parents Across America : Sample letter to your legislator about establishing screen time guidelines We are so pleased that a committee of the Maryland state legislature is considering a bill to establish health and safety guidelines for the use of digital devices in schools. This is a great model for other states. We sug

Teacher to Ohio Gov. Kasich: ‘You are in the dark about life in the classroom’ - The Washington Post : Teacher to Ohio Gov. Kasich: ‘You are in the dark about life in the classroom’ Ohio Gov. John Kasich’s stewardship of the public schools in his state has not been without problems. During his tenure, issues facing public schools in Ohio have included the growth of a charter school sector as scan

The Wordsmith - The New York Times : The Death Tax on Failing Schools/Bad Teachers and TrumpCare - The Wordsmith Big Education Ape: Media Consensus on ‘Failing Schools’ Paved Way for DeVos | By Molly Knefel | Common Dreams - http://bigeducationape.blogspot.com/2017/03/media-consensus-on-failing-schools.html Your new 28-page memo, “The Language of Health Care,” was sent to Republicans in Congress

Common Core Advocates' New Boogeyman: Twitterbots | Truth in American Education : Common Core Advocates’ New Boogeyman: Twitterbots Bill Gates had to find an explanation as to why Common Core has become increasingly unpopular. He funded a study that found the source of Common Core advocates’ woes. Twitterbots. Yes you read that right – Twitterbots are to blame. The Consortium for Policy Research

Media Consensus on ‘Failing Schools’ Paved Way for DeVos | By Molly Knefel | Common Dreams : Media Consensus on ‘Failing Schools’ Paved Way for DeVos The nomination of billionaire voucher enthusiast Betsy DeVos for secretary of Education comes after nearly two decades of a largely bipartisan consensus around “education reform.” That consensus, repeated for years in the pages of the New York Times

Education for Sale? | The Nation : Education for Sale? School choice and the future of American education By Linda Darling-Hammond O n February 7, Betsy Devos was confirmed as the nation’s new education secretary after a contentious 50-50 vote in the Senate, with Vice President Mike Pence breaking the tie. Coming to the job with no experience in public education—either as a student, parent, educa

Trump Education Secretary Betsy DeVos: A Win for the Christian Right - Rolling Stone : Betsy DeVos' Holy War Her appointment as education secretary marks the crowning achievement of the Christian right's campaign to infiltrate America's secular institutions A few weeks after September 11th, 2001, with the nation reeling from the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, D.C., about 400 or so

Confronting, Finally, Obama as Centrist, Incrementalist—Never The Socialist | radical eyes for equity : Confronting, Finally, Obama as Centrist, Incrementalist—Never The Socialist It is certain, in any case, that ignorance, allied with power, is the most ferocious enemy justice can have. James Baldwin, No Name in the Street (1972) The Right, specifically the Republican Party, has never been too b

Connecticut Alliance for Privacy in Education speaks out against changes to new student privacy law - Wait What? : Connecticut Alliance for Privacy in Education speaks out against changes to new student privacy law As explained in the Wait, What? post entitled, ALERT – Legislation seeking to undo student privacy protections now before CT Legislature’s Education Committee , legislation has been in

How a Supreme Court Ruling on Playground Covering May Open the Door to School Vouchers : How a Supreme Court Ruling on Playground Covering May Pave the Way for School Vouchers Before she was appointed U.S. Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos spent the better half of two decades on an expensive, dogged crusade to bring school vouchers to her home state of Michigan. Bankrolled by the limitless fina

What's behind all the big spending on the LA school board primary | 89.3 KPCC : What's behind all the big spending on the LA school board primary Outside political groups have already spent more on this year's Los Angeles School Board campaign than they’ve ever spent on an L.A. Unified primary election before. Independent expenditure groups — most with ties to either L.A.'s teachers union, United

Trump's education adviser promotes private schools - ABC News : Trump's education adviser promotes private schools A senior presidential aide said Wednesday that American families should have various school options for their children, including private schools. Jason Botel, Donald Trump's education adviser, told a National PTA conference that some children may not thrive in traditional public or

The State of State Teachers’ Pension Plans - The New York Times : The State of State Teachers’ Pension Plans By KARL RUSSELL and MARY WILLIAMS WALSH MARCH 6, 2017 As teachers across the country retire, their pensions are being subsidized by newly hired teachers to a surprising degree. Teachers’ pension plans have always rewarded long-serving veterans at the expense of short-termers. But now, as m

School Privatization Means Loss of Public Investment to Profits and Sacrifice of Students’ Rights | janresseger : School Privatization Means Loss of Public Investment to Profits and Sacrifice of Students’ Rights Here is how political scientists Jacob Hacker and Paul Pierson begin their newest book, American Amnesia , that explores the subject of America’s capitulation to the belief that governmen

Former Jeb Bush Foundation Staffers Working at Trump's Ed. Dept. - Politics K-12 - Education Week : Former Jeb Bush Foundation Staffers Working at Trump's Ed. Dept. At least three staffers who are part of the initial Trump administration team at the U.S. Department of Education appear to have, at one point or another, worked for the Foundation for Excellence in Education . That's the education re

DeVos praises Orthodox Jewish group that strongly backs public funding for religious schools - The Washington Post : DeVos praises Orthodox Jewish group that strongly backs public funding for religious schools U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, who has made school “choice” a policy priority, met on Wednesday with leaders of an Orthodox Jewish group that has been instrumental in pushing voucher

Seattle Schools Community Forum: Levy Cliff Bill Passes : Levy Cliff Bill Passes From Washington's Paramount Duty: What an evening! The Senate passed Lisa Wellman 's levy cliff delay bill! Huge thanks to all the parents, kids, educators, school board directors, superintendents, and administrators who tirelessly advocated. YOU made all the difference! This win is YOUR win! Many thanks to all the l

Tell Congress: "Don't cut Medicaid funding for services for disabled students." - Network For Public Education : Tell Congress: “Don’t cut Medicaid funding for services for disabled students.” Did you know that many schools use Medicaid funding to help cover the cost of services to students in special education? Medicaid funding is used for speech therapy, occupational therapy, special education

Education Lessons From A Sparkly District: PARCC Season Brings Desperate Actions by NJ Administrators. Again. : PARCC Season Brings Desperate Actions by NJ Administrators. Again. This time last year, as the NJ Department of Education (NJDOE) was cracking down on districts with high refusal rates, administrators across the state started doing some truly crazy and not well thought out things to stu

Badass Teachers Association: On Being Women by Delthea Simmons : On Being Women by Delthea Simmons Being a woman is not a game It's not about pussy hats Not about cute t-shirts Not about ironic or sarcastic memes Being a woman is serious it's not about a one day "strike" It's not about chanting "77 cents" It's not about a few women taking a day's leave from work while most woman dare not leave wo

California's Annual State Application for 2017 - Administration & Support (CA Dept of Education) : California's Annual State Application for 2017 Annual State Application under Part B of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) will be submitted by May 12, 2017, for federal fiscal year (FFY) 2017. The California Department of Education (CDE), Special Education Division, has complete

Women's Strike and International Women's Day is Tomorrow - Tips from Famous Protestor Bernardine Dohrn on Changing Policy : How Women Can Strike Fear into the Patriarchy: Lessons from a 1960s Radicalist Bernardine Dohrn, the most wanted woman in the world, on the power of protest. Be rnarndine Dohrn used to be a fugitive. After multiple arrests, she went into hiding and was on the lam for 11 year

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Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 3/8/17 Featured Post Dutch Treat: Detsy DeVos and the Christian Schools Movement - LA Progressive School offers ‘incentives’ to get kids to take Common Core standardized test - The